Chapter 4

A tremor ripped through me. I shoved Hannah's glass away.

"I'm not drinking this. I'm leaving."

I had barely taken a single step when Leonard's friends closed in, hemming me in on all sides.

A prickling dread crept up my spine, but before I could ask anything, a sharp stab lanced into my lower back. Cold liquid flooded my body.

Through the blur, I saw a man twirling a syringe between his fingers, smirking. "This is a strong labor inducer. You will be delivering in no time. Hannah's about to shine."

I dug my nails into my palms to stay conscious and fixed my burning eyes on Leonard, silently begging whatever conscience he had left.

He merely looked away and wrapped an arm around Hannah's waist right in front of me.

"Relax. Hannah will deliver the baby just fine. Early labor by two months isn't a big deal.

"You just need to sleep. When you wake up, you won't remember any of this."

His tone was steady, almost casual, as if none of this mattered.

And I slipped all the way into the abyss.

My strength drained fast. The contractions tore through my lower body in relentless waves as they dragged me toward the cameras set up for the live stream.

Hannah dropped her gentle facade and stared at my helpless state with open mockery.

"Kayla, be good and deliver the child Leonard and I made. I'll be very grateful.

"You like men so much, don't you? After this stream, I promise every inch of your body will be on display for all the men watching. You'll be quite the sensation."

I tried to steady my breathing, but the pain came in dense, suffocating bursts. I could barely form words.

Hannah grabbed a knife and drove it straight into the back of my hand, grinning as blood spread across my skin.

"Rest well. You'll be famous soon."

When she walked away, I forced myself off the table despite the agony and hammered on the door.

Outside, voices murmured through the blur.

"Leonard, don't worry. We mixed a potent memory-erasing compound into the inducer. Kayla won't remember a thing."

Only then did Leonard leave.

"As long as she delivers Hannah's and my child, I can fix everything later. I'll cure her allergy completely."

I collapsed against the door, utterly empty.

Blood streaked across the floor in a dark, shocking trail.

Clenching my teeth, I injected the abortion drug.

Leonard, I would never give birth to the child you wanted.

Outside, the celebration continued as if nothing were happening, while I lay on a cold operating table, barely clinging to life as I delivered a dead fetus.

I didn't look at it. I called a number.

"Is everything ready?"

I knew Leonard and Hannah would appreciate the gift.

Meanwhile, Leonard and the others were busy preparing the live stream. Then a scream split the air.

"Blood! Someone fell from up here!"

Everyone turned. Chaos erupted instantly.

A jolt ran through Leonard.

Above them, the enormous screen flickered on right on schedule.

The next second, the entire hall gasped as one.

Leonard snapped his head up, following every gaze toward the live stream screen.